This is easy to solve. Lets forget about the alliance and ask my home carrier Lufthansa to send out the following email to UA customers as a reciprocal response:
I am sorry you are disappointed with our eligibility changes for lounge access for United Airlines Customers. Lufthansa believes our Senator customers and First Class guests should be rewarded for their loyalty and their purchase decision with products and services we offer exclusively to them. Important to them is first access to the Senator lounges. This section of our lounge guarantees free alcohol and great snacks. We have done this to ensure we meet Lufthansa's elite customers' expectations. You are not used to it from your carrier anyway.
Your business is important to us as well. For your future travels, please know that on the day of departure you may be given the option to purchase lounge access, if available. If you prefer to secure advance access to the Senator lounge, you may be interested to enroll in Miles & More. For more information and to sign-up for one of the offers, please visit our web site at
www.miles-and-more.de.
Regards
The Wolf
Each airlines has it pros and cons and the idea of the alliance once was to grant the same privileges to the same elites. One can discuss whether or not LH and SQ left that track with their very top elites' benefits but the relevant groups are so small (HON) that they are of no relevance when comparing general elite standards. UA abolished a general perk for all *-golds and the response can only be to abolish other *-benefits for UA customers. That will be the only way the Americans react:
- No more SEN lounges
- No more free alcohol
- No more SWU vouchers on LH
Be loyal to UA and fly UA. Or send tons of emails to your people at UA to get reciporcal benefits back for all *-Golds.
Cheers
Thomas